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UK doctors will be able to prescribe cannabis medicine next month

Doctors in England, Wales and Scotland will be able to prescribe cannabis-derived medicine in less than a month, the home secretary has announced.

Sajid Javid previously announced cannabis-derived medicinal products were to be placed in schedule 2 of the 2001 Misuse of Drugs Regulations, allowing clinicians to prescribe them.

On Thursday, the home secretary confirmed the regulations would come into force on 1 November.

The changes come after a series of high-profile cases involving children being denied access to cannabis oil to control epileptic seizures. The cases include those of Billy Caldwell, 12, and Alfie Dingley, six, who have forms of intractable epilepsy, also known as refractory epilepsy, that appear to be eased by the use of cannabis oil.

In a written statement to parliament, Javid said: “I have been clear that my intention was always to ensure that patients have access